The Oyo State House of Assembly has revealed the name of the alleged culprit of the recent explosion in Ibadan as Sawani Yusuf.
While the nationality of Yusuf remains unconfirmed, the Assembly has called upon security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend all individuals involved in the incident.
During a recent plenary session, the House addressed the issue prompted by a motion titled “URGENT NEED FOR ALL REGULATORY AGENCIES TO ENFORCE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ESPECIALLY IN HANDLING AND STORING OF EXPLOSIVES (DYNAMITES) IN VIEW OF THE EXPLOSION THAT ROCKED OLD BODIJA AREA OF IBADAN ON TUESDAY, 16TH JANUARY, 2024,” presented by Adebayo Babajide, representing Ibadan North II.
The Majority Leader, Sanjo Adedoyin, disclosed that the explosion originated from a property in the Dejo Oyelese area of Bodija, reportedly owned by Yusuf.
Expressing deep concern over the storage of explosives in a residential area, the Assembly demanded clarity on who authorized the storage and questioned how the dynamites were obtained.
In his remark, Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin said: “We can discuss different angles as to how the situation affects us and different solutions to ensuring that this situation never occurs again, but for now, let us wait for the outcome of security investigations to shed more light on the happenings.”
“As soon as we have more information, I’m sure we’ll be able to deliberate further on the next course of action.
“We also want the Ministry of Environment to examine the state Environmental Laws to see whether there are consequences for such actions. If not, then there are gaps in the laws, and we must take immediate steps to address that.”
He directed the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to investigate the provisions of the law and determine the next legislative action, ordering the committee to report its findings back to the House within one week.
Ada Peter
